Comelec: 40 district, sectoral reps to be elected in BPE

Anton Banal

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives will be elected in the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), following changes by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

In Resolution 11199, the Comelec en banc said 32 representatives will be elected from single-member parliamentary districts apportioned for specific areas as provided by the Parliament.

Lanao del Sur will have nine seats, followed by Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur with five seats each. Basilan and Tawi-Tawi were allocated four seats each, while Cotabato City has three and the Special Geographic Area has two.

The Comelec said voters will also elect at least eight sectoral representatives.

The sectoral seats include two for Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples, two for Settler Communities, and one each for Women, Youth, Traditional Leaders, and Ulama.

Political parties contesting the BPE will fill the remaining 40 seats in the Bangsamoro Parliament.

"One-half of the members of Parliament shall be representatives of political parties, who are elected through a system of proportional representation," said the Comelec.

A total of 80 seats in the Bangsamoro Parliament will be contested in the BPE. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)